Rasmussen: NRA More Popular Than NEA

The nation’s largest teachers union on Monday endorsed President Obama’s re-election 16 months before Election Day 2012, but then most Republicans already have a negative opinion of the National Education Association. Democrats, on the other hand, are big fans.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42 percent of all Likely Voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the NEA, with 17 percent Very Favorable.

Thirty-seven percent regard the teacher’s union at least somewhat unfavorably, including 22 percent with a Very Unfavorable view. Twenty percent are not sure what they think of the group.

Among Democrats, however, 60 percent view the NEA favorably, while 57 percent of GOP voters regard the union unfavorably. Voters not affiliated with either of the major parties are narrowly divided.

The National Rifle Association, on the other hand, is likely to endorse whomever Republicans choose as their presidential nominee in 2012. Fifty-four percent of voters view the gun rights group favorably, including 29 percent with a Very Favorable opinion. The NRA is regarded unfavorably by 41 percent, with 25 percent who have a Very Unfavorable view.

Yet while 80 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of unaffiliated voters share a favorable opinion of the NRA, 63 percent of Democrats view the group unfavorably.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 30-July 1, 2011, by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points.

The nation s largest teachers union on Monday endorsed President Obama s re-election 16 months before Election Day 2012, but then most Republicans already have a negative opinion of the National Education Association. Democrats, on the other hand, are big fans.
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